“Check your e-mail in the next few days. Perhaps you live in one of the randomly selected 20,000 households in Krakow, to which an invitation to participate in the Krakow Climate Panel was sent,” inform city officials.
Invites were sent – stay tuned & check your emails!
On March 17, letters to the inhabitants were sent. Receiving an invitation is an opportunity to contribute to the panel and represent all Krakow residents. Registration of panelists lasts until March 26. The Krakow Climate Panel will start soon – the first citizens’ panel in Krakow. The panel is a way of making important decisions by a randomly selected group of residents, whose role is to resolve a given matter taking into account the common good.
The first citizens’ panel in Krakow is devoted to climate change and the city’s climate neutrality. Its aim is to find an answer to the question: “How can the City of Krakow and its residents reduce energy consumption and increase the use of renewable energy?”
How does this work? Who gets invited?
Shipping 20 thousand invitations is the first stage of selecting panelists. From among the registered people, a group of 60 will be selected, together with a 10-person reserve group. The drawn people will constitute a representative group for the entire city in terms of socio-demographic and spatial characteristics (gender, age group, residential district, level of education).
When will the meetings take place?
Planned dates of meetings of the Krakow Climate Panel:
As officials assure, “participation in the Krakow Climate Panel is not only a unique adventure but also an opportunity to have a real impact on the city’s activities. the city and will be implemented”. However, we already had a lot of social consultations in the city, and the implementation of the residents’ demands was different. We’ll see how it will be this time.
Looking forward to reading more news about this action 🙂
MPK is modernizing the bus fleet. New electric buses from the pool of 50 purchased by the city carrier are slowly starting to arrive in Krakow.
On Monday, January 25, the first of 50 new electric buses ordered by MPK in Krakow left the Solaris Bus & Coach factory in Bolechowice near Poznań. The bus will be delivered on a special tow truck to the Wola Duchacka Bus Service Station.
After delivery, the technical acceptance of the new bus will begin. It will be carried out entirely at the MPK depot (due to the limitations related to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, it is currently not possible for these technical approvals to take place at the manufacturer’s factory as before).
50 new buses for Krakow
The contract for the delivery of 50 electric buses and 50 charging devices via a plug-in connector, dedicated to each vehicle, was signed on May 25, 2020. All new buses will carry passengers on four lines No. 144, 173, 179, and partially 503, running through Aleja Trzech Wieszczów, i.e. in the area of the city, where the greatest exceedances of the permissible air pollution standards occur.
The electric buses that Solaris will deliver to Kraków will be driven by axles with integrated electric motors. Articulated buses will be structurally prepared for charging in 2 ways: through a 4-pole roof pantograph located above the first axle of the vehicle or through a plug-in connector. The energy storage will be Solaris High Energy + batteries.
European Union Funds ON!
Electric articulators will be able to offer a journey for 141 passengers at a time, 43 of whom will be able to use seats. The newest buses for Krakow will be equipped with monitoring, passenger information system, air conditioning, USB chargers and an electric heating system. People on wheelchairs will be able to use a platform that will facilitate getting on and off the bus. The ramp will be mounted at the second door. For the purchase of these vehicles, MPK SA obtained approx. PLN 110 million in subsidies from the European Union funds.
These are the next electric buses in the capital of Małopolska. The residents of Krakow can currently use 29 emission-free vehicles.
The article is taken from Gazeta Krakowska – you can find it here in Polish language.
In 2019, Krakow liquidated almost twice as many outdated boilers as all neighbouring communes. Despite this, the capital of Lesser Poland is still under heavy smog. The reason is pollution flowing into our city from neighboring towns. It is estimated that around 30,000 coal furnaces are still smoking around Krakow. What is needed is the involvement of other Małopolska communes in the fight for clean air, argue the authorities of Krakow. In turn, in the Marshal’s Office, we hear assurances that more and more outdated boilers are replaced year by year in the neighboring communes.
Air quality – always horrible at the beginning of the year!
The beginning of the year is terrible when it comes to air quality in Poland. Our country has become a red point on the map of Europe in the last few days. In many cities, including those from Małopolska, air pollution standards were exceeded even several times. In our voivodeship, the worst was in Nowy Targ and Kraków. The capital of Małopolska was even ranked 5th among the most polluted cities in the world.
This fact may come as a surprise as Krakow is very good at replacing obsolete boilers, which are the main source of air pollution. In 2019, the city liquidated almost twice as many as all neighboring communes. At the moment there are just over 2.8 thousand obsolete heat sourcesto be replaced.
Despite this, in recent days the smog cap has hung over our city again, and its authorities, due to the exceeding the average pollution level for PM10 dust, had to introduce free public transport.
The slow pace of replacement of obsolete boilers in municipalities around Krakow
MEPs from Krakow who deal with smog, have no doubt that the impact on this situation is, among others, the slow pace of replacement of obsolete furnaces and boilers in municipalities around our city.
In each of them, there are thousands of furnaces, in which solid fuels are still burned. Krakow lies in a basin, where pollution from neighboring towns is deposited.
MP Aleksander Miszalski from the Civic Coalition (during the online meeting on smog)
Polish Smog Alarm takes notice!
Recently, the Polish Smog Alarm presented data which clearly shows that the replacement of furnaces and boilers is very slow across the country. Krakow seems to be an exception. Among voivodeship cities, a record number of boilers was replaced here – over 4.1 thousand. Let us recall that in the capital of Małopolska, coal and wood smoking are prohibited from September 2019.
When sending inquiries to the municipalities, we expected that the number of boilers mentioned would not be significant, but what we saw in the responses showed a complete crisis in the area of replacing obsolete boilers.
said Andrzej Guła, PAS leader
We decided to check the situation in the communes around Krakow. For example, last year in the commune of Świątniki Górne over 90 coal-fired boilers were replaced with gas ones. “Additionally, 2 heat pumps and 2 biomass boilers were installed. 42 photovoltaic panels and 5 solar collectors were installed” – emphasizes the eco-manager Aleksander Piegza.
Replacement of old stoves in smaller cities around Krakow is crucial!
More obsolete stoves were replaced in the Niepołomice commune: last year, nearly 150. “It should be noted that the number refers only to investments made under the municipal subsidy projects and the Clean Air government program” – Anna Szewczyk from the Niepołomice City and Commune Office assures us.
1% for activities related to air protection
Let us recall that during the consultations on the new air protection program for the Małopolskie Voivodeship, it was proposed that all communes should allocate 1 % off for activities related to air protection, including subsidies for the replacement of boilers. Such a provision appeared in the final version of the program. Communes of the so-called “obwarzanek krakowski” complied with these recommendations, although it was not possible to reach 1% everywhere.
“As part of activities related to air protection, the Świątniki Górne commune secured about 0.7 % in the budget for 2021. The activities include: employment of eco-managers (2 jobs), implementation of subsidy programs for the exchange of heat sources and the installation of renewable energy sources, etc.” – informs Piegza. At the same time, he emphasizes that the commune has also managed to obtain funds from outside for investments related to air protection. “Therefore, if you count the total funds for this purpose, it would be approx. 4 % budget” – the eco-manager confirms.
Why does Krakow still have smog?
We asked the Krakow authorities why, despite the quick replacement of outdated boilers, smog continued to suffocate residents. Paweł Ścigalski, the plenipotentiary of President Jacek Majchrowski for air quality, emphasizes that there are many factors.
First, Krakow has a terrible geographical location – in the valley of the Vistula river, which makes it difficult to ventilate the city. In addition, especially in the autumn and winter period, there are temperature inversions, fogging, periods of wind silence, and air humidity. Despite the anti-smog resolution in force for Krakow, which mentions the ban on the use of solid fuels, there are still locations in the city where it is used.
Ścigalski
The air circulation knows no borders…
Like MP Miszalski, the president’s adviser draws attention to the situation in neighboring communes. “It is estimated that around 30,000 coal furnaces are still smoking around Krakow. The air has no borders and hence other Małopolska communes need to be involved in the fight for clean air, especially those in its immediate vicinity from the perspective of Kraków“, adds Ścigalski. However, it indicates that the air in our city is getting better every year.
You can see the effects of anti-smog activities. It is worth noting that the dust level has dropped by half in the last 7 years. For 2 years now, we have been in the annual average PM10 standard, the number of days with daily exceedances is decreasing, in 2020 there were less than 50 (average from the CIEP station in Krakow) – he says.
Kraków remains the leader in Małopolska
In turn, Michał Drewnicki, the press spokesman of the Marshal’s Office of the Małopolska Region, emphasizes that more and more outdated boilers are replaced in the neighboring communes of Krakow. “On the scale of Małopolska, Krakow remains the leader, which in 2019 liquidated almost twice as many outdated boilers than all neighboring communes. In previous years, this advantage was even greater” – says Drewnicki.
It indicates that among the communes of the so-called “Obwarzanek krakowski”, but also on the voivodeship level, Skawina stands out in particular. “The commune not only lists the most heat sources but also carries out the most inspections of furnaces, installs renewable energy sources in residential buildings, and has made an inventory of almost all heat sources” – he acknowledges.
The Gazeta Krakowska article, in PL language, can be found on the link provided.
If you decide to buy a Christmas tree, we encourage you to buy a tree in a pot – suggests the City Greenery Authority. Thanks to this, after Christmas, the Christmas tree can be returned to Zarząd Zieleni Miejskiej (ZZM), and its employees will plant the Christmas tree in the spring.
When & where can we bring in the Christmas trees?
Christmas trees can be brought in from Tuesday, January 5. The action will last until February 1. The trees can be handed over to Zarząd Zieleni Miejskiej (ZZM) between 7.30 am and 3.30 pm in the car park at ul. Za Torem 22 in Krakow. The place where you can leave the Christmas tree will be marked.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to be eco-friendly during this year!
The communication revolution has reached Ulica Dietla. Now, as part of the Shield for Mobility, the rules of traffic organization are changing. Drivers will have fewer lanes, but there will be new parking spaces. Pedestrians can count on more space on the sidewalks. There are also roads for cyclists.
City Hall’s stand
“The renovation of Krakowska Street is coming to an end, along with the reconstruction of the intersection with Dietla Street. Taking advantage of the opportunity of reduced traffic in the area covered by the works, the Road Administration of the City of Krakow renovated Dietla Street. Completion of the above works is a good opportunity to comprehensively systematize the organization of traffic on this street” – explains Sebastian Kowal from the Krakow City Hall.
Introduced on ul. Dietl, new traffic organization solutions include freeing sidewalks from parked vehicles. “This will enable the comfort of walking and ensure social distance, which is so important in the current epidemiological situation” – emphasizes Sebastian Kowal.
Then and Now
So far, Ulica Dietla had 2 lanes in each direction. Now over 130 parking spaces will be designated on the outer lanes. They are to be built along their entire length, but additional turning lanes will appear instead of them at an appropriate distance in front of the intersections. There are also 3 kiss & ride (K&R) parking spaces for tourist buses in the vicinity of the Vistula boulevards, Kazimierz and Wawel, which is to reduce unnecessary access of coaches to the very center.
The remaining approx. 5 meters of the road on each side is shared by cars and cyclists. “The changes are made so that, as part of measures to improve the safety of all road users, the wide roadway does not encourage driving too fast, however, so that it is still comfortable and cyclists feel safe” – informs Sebastian Kowal. “Cyclists will be clearly marked with the way they move. At the same time, these changes, even with parallel parking on the road, will not restrict the passage of emergency vehicles”, he adds.
The first painted stripes of the Krakow Shield for Mobility appeared on the Grunwaldzki Bridge and Ulica Grzegórzecka and Wielopole. Public Transport Authority announced that the changes would be continued and now the time has come for Ulica Dietla. Currently, it is painted there, among others road for bicycles . On the Grunwaldzki Bridge, it was separated with separators and stakes, while on Dietla, a 2-wheeled path was painted on the road. For now, only on the side of Kazimierz, but the same changes will be introduced on the road leading to traffic from ul. Dietl to the Grunwaldzki Bridge.
Would this lead to blockades?!
“It should be noted that before the renovation of Krakowska Street, 24/7 lane parking was introduced on Dietla Street. This provided, in line with the expectations of local residents, parking spaces for them. The implemented solutions, despite the concerns of some skeptics, did not lead to the blockade of the street. At the same time, as part of the traffic organization, various solutions were tested for the duration of the works, aimed at streamlining road traffic, including improving the functioning of public transport, in particular trams, and, equally important, facilitating walking” – emphasizes Sebastian Kowal. “Therefore, changes in the target traffic organization are largely the result of experience and traffic observation. New solutions will offer residents the most effective use of the available space”.
The capacity of Ulica Dietla will improve turning off the traffic lights in almost all places. However, the new traffic organization adds the inability to travel by car straight between ul. Krakowska and Stradomska, in both directions.
The comprehensive implementation of all the new solutions at Ulica Dietla is scheduled for mid-September this year.
Citizen stand
Looking at the comments and discussion on the topic, it seems that the citizen of Krakow are split between liking the idea and totally dismissing it. Some say that the red stripes are quite vulgar and they do not blend in nicely with the historical architecture (which, IMHO, they are 100% right!), some state that having 1 lane (instead of 2) brings more traffic jams and more pollutions through the exhaust fumes… some mention that one lane will bring issues in case of emergencies (how can one yield the lane to the ambulance, firetrucks or the police?!)…
On another hand: more parking spaces! (and everyone loves that!) Mixed feelings but I think we need to see the lanes in action and see where that takes us… I, for one, wish more people would take bikes and public transport than using their own cars!
If you wish to read more, the article in PL language can be found here.
Flowers embedded in resin instead of advertisements. An unusual stop has been created in Łódź
One of the most beautiful public transport stops in Poland has appeared in Łódź. In the walls of the shelters, instead of advertisements, colorful flowers embedded in resin were placed.
The main value of this installation is primarily the visual layer and basing its form on the subtle, natural beauty of flowers and plant elements. An additional taste of this place is the fact that for over 30 years you can buy flowers here practically around the clock.
Michał Bieżyński – Łódź Event Center, curator of the project
The author of the project, which was called “Nostalgia”, is Dominika Cebula, a 3rd-year student of the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź. For the creation of the installation, among others, forget-me-nots, cornflowers, narcissuses, roses, peonies, daisies, and other flowers were used, which, embedded in resin, created 36 colorful compositions.
Nostalgia by Dominika Cebula
The idea came from the desire to be close to nature, to emphasize the contrast of flowers with a concrete city. Flowers and bouquets are of great importance for people, their symbolism has been present in our culture for a long time. To create the installation, I used, among other flowers that I got as a gift or from friends who wanted to support my work on the project.
Dominika Cebula – interview with Dziennik Łódzki
The floristic shelter at Dąbrowski Square will stand at least until the end of October. It is possible that later the resin-embedded panels will be moved to another stop.
Don’t you think this piece looks magnificient? I, for one, would not mind having all the public transport stops decorated like this – instead of the regular ads that they hold. Plus… that would save paperwork and would help in terms of recycling the plants.
Original news piece, in Polish language, can be found here.
Poznań authorities had an environmentally friendly way to encourage residents to participate in the presidential election. The city will plant as many trees as the percent of the population that went to vote.
The Poznań authorities promise that new trees will be planted in the housing estate where on Sunday, July 12 will be the highest turnout during the second round of presidential elections. Their number will depend on the turnout.
“Thank you very much for the very high turnout in the first round of presidential elections and I encourage you to vote on July 12. Let our internal competition between housing estates be an additional motivation” – says Jacek Jaśkowiak, Mayor of Poznań.
What did the Mayor of Poznań say?
We will plant as many trees as the percentage points in the housing estate with the highest turnout. For example, if it is 80 percent this estate can expect 80 new trees. We all want to have them in our surroundings as much as possible, so I count on fierce competition.
Jacek Jaśkowiak, Mayor of Poznań
Among the species that are at stake are, among others, red chestnut, plane tree, oak or linden. These are trees that work well in urban conditions. For the first years they will be provided with care. Planting will take place in autumn, when the trees are resting and their growth process will not be disturbed.
How did the voting go, in Poznań, during the second round?
It seems that the stimulus did work! During the presidential election in 2015, the turnout among the inhabitants in the first round of Poznań was 55.39% & second round 55.34%.
What was the turnout in the second round of the previous presidential election in Poznań? 63.2% of residents did cast their vote there, so I say the eco-friendly stimulus did work out! Now it only remains to wait for fall and see if the trees will be planted in the district that held the most votes.
Yours truly,
The Twisted Red LadyBug Bringing You The Polish News 🙂
RUCH – Prasa, Ksiaszka, RUCH – Poland in PRL TimesThe ruins of Warsaw after the 1945 heavy bombing, but you can see in the background the newly built Palace of Culture and Science (Pałac Kultury i Nauki) – Photo by Zdzisław WdowińskiI’ll just call this one… Toilet Paper & Fashion in the PRL Times 🙂 – Location Unknown (Poland)Born in the PRL – Water with fruit juice/jam sold in glasses (glass made). You had to drink it on the spot 🙂Warsaw Trams in 2013 (Poland)Celebrating Labour Day – 1st May – PRL TimesBorn in the PRL – The regular shop next door (Poland)Born in the PRL – Glass bottles for milk and juice
On store shelves, most products are packed in glass bottles and containers: mayonnaise, mustard, milk and juice. There is no fear that children will break bottles, nobody complains that the glass is heavier and you have to be more careful when moving it. Bottles with interesting shapes are later used as vases, to others you can add a separate mechanism that closes them in a vacuum, almost like a cork.
Born in the PRL – Buying bread at the local store, in Poland
The bread was wrapped up in paper instead of foil (tin or plastic, like nowadays). Sandwiches, for school or work, were wrapped in breakfast paper – resistant to fatty products and completely biodegradable!
Does any of this ring a bell from your childhood? For me, it sounds very similar. Romania, ex-communist country as well, as Poland, keeps a shared history. The photos above could be taken back in my motherland as well.
I find it a good movement the fact that people now are trying to go back to the eco-friendly ways of living – eg. buying bread in the paper wrapping again, reusing things, not throwing things but rather trying to fix things once they get broken… The only way we can make sure our children will have a better world is by making sure that each of us does their part and takes care of the environment as well!
Yours truly,
The Twisted Red LadyBug That Loves History
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